Mindful Monday – Earth Day 2013
For obvious reasons you will find throughout this site and knowing me in person, Earth Day is one of my favorite days of the year. Maybe I was a bit too excited about today, when during the drive to school this morning the words, “Kiss the ground today kids and be thankful you live on this beautiful planet!” came pouring out of my mouth. Jake responded with an “Eww!” and Cole laughed, “Really Mom?”
Alright, so they aren’t as grateful as I am to see the blue, sun-filled sky and the buds of spring all around. They may not yet share my passion for clean, minimalist, simple living but I know for a fact that I am impressing upon them the importance of being mindful of how they live. How do I know?
- They call me “Miss Organic”
- Question which items are recyclable before discarding them
- Help me sort out clothes and household items for donating and willingly offer up their toys
- Decide, without any help, which veggies will be planted in our garden this year
- Have improved their food waste down to a minimum (without too much nagging)
- Know it’s better to borrow than buy when it makes sense (using our library is a big one)
The list goes on and on and my heart swells with happiness knowing I am teaching my children to respect the earth as a living, breathing entity. They are constantly reminded by me to show consideration and empathy for other people and animals that inhabit this planet with them now and for many lifetimes to come. I want them to know the biggest thing we borrow is Earth and we should leave it in better condition than when we got it.
On Friday night, the kids, my mother-in-law and I went to our local library’s Earth Night event. Without hesitation they got right into the rhythm of the evening with tree seedling handouts, fresh organic vegetable pizza to taste, a mini-lecture from the Queen of Dirt around here, Gar Wang, creating art from old books, and much more. I think it may have been one of those moments in my life when I looked around and witnessed two of my favorite worlds colliding in a most perfect way. Learning about green living IN the library. Heaven on earth.
A few fun links to celebrate, learn about and share on Earth Day:
Documentary both Jake and Cole STILL talk about a year later! (WATCH IT!!)
A quiz to test your knowledge as an Earthing!
Books & Movies for the kids
Make it a billion 1
Dusting myself off from all the dirt and grass talk, I just want to say this,
“It doesn’t matter what shade of green you are; even the lightest hue can make a difference.”
Live Well
